Land of Smoke and Ashes

Deadly Charms

Natalie half expected Sam to tell her she was crazy, or at least give her a sidelong look. Instead he nodded slowly. "I'm not surprised. Brookland has a way of slipping into other places. Into dreams."

"Or lately, into nightmares." Gwen was already heading for the field of lavender as she said this, and she didn't look back to see if Sam and Natalie were following her.

A narrow path cut through the field, one that looked as though it had been well used, and after a moment of hesitation, Sam followed his companion. Natalie hurried after them, still staring around in awe. She had stood here in that dream, in this very field. She was sure of it. Then it had been imbibed with the strange, blurry quality that all of her dreams had—so obviously that she had known immediately she was asleep—and here it was in the daylight. She tilted her head back slightly, noting that the sun was still partially blocked out by a gray sky. It wasn't quite so bad as the sky back at the shanty town had been, but it still wasn't the blue, cloudless sky she'd expected of a place like this.

If this place was real, did it mean the haunting voice she'd heard was real as well? That it really had been calling to her? The idea made unease roil in her stomach, and she sucked in a breath and hurried to catch up with Sam. She wouldn't mention anything to him. Hearing disembodied voices was never a good sign. Besides, it had probably just been a part of the dream.

"What do you mean, it gets into your dreams?" She hurried after Sam. "Like, people who have never been here dream about it? Is that why—" she almost said 'why the necklace took me here' and then stumbled, choking on her own words. Sam glanced back at her, his brows raised, and she could feel her face flush. She felt like an idiot.

No. She couldn't tell him about the necklace yet. She couldn't tell anyone, it was too dangerous. There was the same nagging thought at the back of her mind, it had been for the last few hours: If the necklace had got her here, it could very well be her only way back home. If she lost it...if someone took it from her, she could be stuck here forever.

Just the thought of it sent a pang of homesickness through her. She missed her dad, and the creaky house, and Sera.

Sam sighed, a gusty, resigned noise, and turned away. For second it seemed as though he would ignore her question. Then, "Some people are meant to come here," he said heavily, "Humans, usually. It's like the land calls to them."

Up ahead Gwen snorted. "Yeah, and then the problem is it keeps calling."

This time when Sam glanced back his expression was unreadable. "Right. Once you've been here, it's like...it's in your blood. Some humans, they never get over it. It's like nothing else is good enough anymore, and if they can't get back..."

"They go crazy," she said shortly.

"And that's why the king set out wards years ago," Sam said. "No one gets in anymore." He glanced sideways at Natalie. "Even if they try. Not without strong enough magic to get past."

Natalie's stomach had begun churning and she looked away, avoiding his questioning gaze. He didn't think she was magic, did he? Or worse, had he guessed about the necklace?

The necklace. Her mother's disappearance...could it be that her mother had been one of these people? The ones obsessed with the idea of returning? And if she hadn't been able to get back over...if the necklace had stopped working momentarily...had she gone insane? Maybe that's why she had disappeared.

She couldn't help remembering the woman in the picture she'd discovered, how happy she had looked, her gaze dreamy and far away. And then the portrait in the hallway. The military short haircut, the steely look on her face. Had that been after she'd realized she couldn't get back?